Full Version: Truck hits train bridge.
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some one's insurance is about to go up,,,
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That bridge is a truck-killer!
Oops! That has actually happened twice in the last 15 years at a small railroad bridge near my house. Te clearance signs are clearly marked and yet some truckers don't pay heed. Fortunately the speed limit is 40 and the bridge is near a four way stop so the impacts probably were not as bad as they could have been.

Ralph
Mmmm - it seems to me that it might be a good idea to put up a second telltale maybe 100 yards further left on the route that goes straight through the intersection. Several of those trucks does hit the telltale right next to the bridge, but by that time they are traveling too fast to stop before they also hit the bridge.

And yes - in principle, drivers (especially drivers of taller vehicles) who do not pay attention to clearance signs are idiots.

And there is no guarantee that an idiot won't ignore the bang of his truck hitting a telltale and just continue straight ahead at speed, hitting the bridge after all.

But it is a relatively low cost alternative (compared to lowering the road under the bridge and dealing with drainage issues with regards to that, or to raising the railroad bridge and railroad bridge approaches).

And there must have been way too many hits there, for them to have compiled footage of this many truck vs bridge situations.

Aaaargh - I must have been an engineer for too long. Can't even just think "what morons!" without starting to think "how could that be improved?". :oops:

Stein
I was on the westbound Amtrak Empire Builder a few years ago and was delayed just east of Spokane, Washington for a truck that struck a bridge. We were held about forty minutes while the bridge inspection was completed and railroad traffic was resumed.
This is too funny!!! 35 35 35 35 Icon_lol Icon_lol Icon_lol

I work in a Shipping & Receiving that is two floors underground.

10' 2" clearance.

We used to have trucks come down the ramp and tear out the overhead plumbing.

Until they put a BIG STEEL BEAM across the top of the entrance.

Now, we occasionally hear a CRUNCH as the top of the truck is bashed in.

There's lots of signage.

Especially the sign that's bolted to the BIG STEEL BEAM.

We issue warnings to all of our delivery companies, but some still insist on sending the wrong trucks to us.

The trucks get stuck under the BIG STEEL BEAM and have to be towed back up the ramp.

It's poor building design. Who'd expect that a Major Urban Public Library would receive trucks in the Shipping & Receiving???? Isn't it just a really big Book Drop??? 790_smiley_picking_a_fight
That's hilarious, even funnier than people who forget to check for a spare tire and need one when to drive on long trips Icon_lol
There are several compilation videos of this happening at this bridge. It has gained a bit of fame over this. I believe there is also a website dedicated to this bridge. I imagine, at some point, the road will be lowered or the ROW raised...
Occasionally, road work "changes" the bridge clearance, and the change is not reflected in the signage, or in available documentation . Illinois Railway Museum lost a newly acquired wood boxcar to a bridge, where the posted clearance, and the declared clearance in State provided documents, were in error due to road resurfacing, which changed the road height below the bridge. The State Police trooper measured the clearance, and could not write a ticket because the clearance was short of the stated value. (the height of the load was correct). :oops:
When I first started working as a transport refrigeration mechanic, I worked for a dealer in Syracuse N.Y. The largest wholesale grocery distributor in the area at the time was Flickenger's, and their Syracuse warehouse was located on the other side of Syracuse from the dealership where I worked. There were probably 6 ways to get from where the dealership was located to Flickenger's, but only one route did not include at least one low bridge. There was one railroad bridge in town that only had a 9 foot clearance! That one caught campers and motorhomes in addition to trucks!
Cop to Truck Driver:" What happened?"
Driver:" I was delivering this bridge and got lost."
Train service in the Toronto area is sometimes disrupted by trucks hitting bridges. The announcement (on the radio) is that they are waiting for engineers to assess the safety of the bridge.
I think something like TinGoats's steel beam should be placed in front of low bridges; at least the bridge won't get damaged.

In my motorhome I put a pair of labels on the rear view mirror (on the bit that isn't needed) giving the height of it in both metric and imperial. (How many of you know the height of your vehicle? How many in both systems?)
Sumpter250 Wrote:Occasionally, road work "changes" the bridge clearance, and the change is not reflected in the signage, or in available documentation . Illinois Railway Museum lost a newly acquired wood boxcar to a bridge, where the posted clearance, and the declared clearance in State provided documents, were in error due to road resurfacing, which changed the road height below the bridge. The State Police trooper measured the clearance, and could not write a ticket because the clearance was short of the stated value. (the height of the load was correct). :oops:

There was a local bridge in Lismore that had that happen- truck that had gone under the bridge daily for years with about 6" clearance um....didn't..... after they regraded and resurfaced the tar (was a full rip it all up and start again job after major flooding)

signs were still the same, truck was still the same, bridge was still the same.... shame the road height wasn't

it physically moved the bridge (old wooden one with overhead r/r going over the road) about 8" offline
eightyeightfan1 Wrote:Cop to Truck Driver:" What happened?"
Driver:" I was delivering this bridge and got lost."

THAT is VERY funny!!!! Icon_lol Thumbsup
I think one of the steam locos in Britain lost its dome when they regraded the track under a bridge and raised it a few inches.
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